62-505: Dennis Kelly is a British writer and producer. He has worked for theatre, television, and film. His play DNA , published in 2007 and first performed in 2008, became a core set-text for GCSE in 2010 and has been studied by approximately 400,000 students each year. He wrote the book for Matilda the Musical , which featured music and lyrics from musician and comedian Tim Minchin . The musical went on to win multiple awards, with Kelly receiving
124-654: A British Comedy Award . However, the show was not renewed for a third series, although in 2009 an hour-long special closed the series. That same year he also wrote an episode for Series 8 of Spooks . In 2009, his play Orphans was staged at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre before transferring to the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe . Kelly was one of
186-619: A Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical . A film adaptation of the musical with screenplay by Kelly was released in December 2022. For television, he is known for co-creating and co-writing the BBC Three sitcom Pulling , the Channel 4 conspiracy thriller Utopia , and the HBO and Sky Atlantic thriller The Third Day . Kelly also wrote the screenplay for the 2014 film Black Sea . Kelly grew up on
248-636: A C* grade to line up with the grade 5 in the English grading. Since 2017 in England (and in Wales and Northern Ireland on qualifications from the English-based awarding bodies) most GCSEs have been assessed on a 9-point scale, using numbers from 9 to 1, and a U (unclassified) grade for achievement below the minimum pass mark. Under this system 9 is the highest grade and is set above the former A* classification, equivalent to
310-470: A U (unclassified) below that, which did not qualify the pupil for a certificate. These grades were initially set such that a GCSE grade C was equivalent to an O-Level grade C or a CSE grade 1, though changes in marking criteria and boundaries over the years mean that this comparison is only approximate. Infrequently, X and Q grades are awarded. X indicates that a course was not completed and therefore an appropriate grade cannot be calculated. The Q (query) grade
372-637: A council estate in Barnet , North London. A child of an Irish family, he was one of five children and was raised as a Catholic . He attended Finchley Catholic High School . Leaving school at 16 years of age, Kelly went to work in a market and then at Sainsbury's . While working in supermarkets, he discovered theatre when he joined a local youth group, the Barnet Drama Centre. Kelly says that he struggled with alcoholism during much of his 20s. He attended Alcoholics Anonymous and has been sober since 2001. At
434-473: A different set of tiers, with three. These were foundation tier at grades G, F, E, and D; intermediate tier at grades E, D, C, and B; and higher tier at grades C, B, A, and A*. This eventually changed to match the tiers in all other GCSE qualifications. The evolution of grades and a rough comparison between them are as follows: When GCSEs were introduced in 1988 they were graded on a letter scale in each subject: A, B, C, D, E, F and G being pass grades, with
496-492: A list of core subjects known as the English Baccalaureate for England based on the results in eight GCSEs, which includes both English language and English literature, mathematics, three of the four sciences (physics, chemistry, biology, computer science), geography or history and an ancient or modern foreign language. Studies for GCSE examinations take place over a period of two or three academic years (depending upon
558-500: A non-assessed basis, with the completion of certain experiments in science subjects being assumed in examinations and teacher reporting of spoken language participation for English GCSEs as a separate report. Other changes include the move to a numerical grading system to differentiate the new qualifications from the old-style letter-graded GCSEs, publication of core content requirements for all subjects and an increase in longer, essay-style questions to challenge pupils more. Alongside this
620-585: A pathway that leads to qualification for the English Baccalaureate , requiring GCSEs in English literature, English language, mathematics, science (including computer science), a modern or ancient language and history and geography. The list of currently available GCSE subjects is much shorter than before the reforms, since the new qualifications in England all have core requirements set by the regulator, Ofqual , for each subject. In addition there are several subjects for which only one board offers qualifications, including some that are available only in one country of
682-421: A scale from A to E, with a U (ungraded) below that. Before 1975 the grading scheme varied between examination boards, but typically there were pass grades of 1 to 6 and fail grades of 7 to 9. However the grades were not displayed on certificates. The CSE was graded on a numerical scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being the highest and 5 the lowest passing grade. Below 5 there was a U (ungraded) grade. The highest grade, 1,
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#1732876884626744-465: A subset of grades to be reached in a specific tier's paper. Formerly many subjects were tiered, but with the mid-2010s reform the number of tiered subjects reduced dramatically, including the removal of tiering from the GCSE English specifications. Untiered papers allow any grade to be achieved. Coursework and controlled assessment tasks are always untiered. In the past mathematics qualifications offered
806-415: A variety of design technology subjects, which are reformed into a single ‘design and technology’ subject with several options, and various catering and nutrition qualifications, which are folded into ‘food technology’. Finally several ‘umbrella’ GCSEs such as ‘humanities’, ‘performing arts’ and ‘expressive arts’ are dissolved, with those wishing to study those subjects needing to take separate qualifications in
868-527: A variety of low-uptake qualifications and qualifications with significant overlap will cease, with their content being removed from the GCSE options or incorporated into similar qualifications. A range of new GCSE subjects was also introduced for pupils to study from 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020. GCSE examinations in English and mathematics were reformed with the 2015 syllabus publications, with these first examinations taking place in 2017. The remainder were reformed with
930-502: A writer, because I don’t think I’d have had the drive. Sharon always had a lot of drive and was quite fearless." The play that Kelly wrote was called Brendan's Visit , which was performed at the Etcetera Theatre and Canal Cafe Theatre , with Horgan playing one of the characters. Kelly has disowned the play saying that "I’ve killed everyone who ever saw it, let’s never talk about that ever again. […] I don’t think I can remember what it
992-590: Is a temporary grade that requires the school to contact the examining body. These two grades are usually provisional and are replaced with a normal grade once any issues have been resolved. X grades are also sometimes used for other purposes on rare occasions, such as to indicate that an examiner found offensive material or hate speech within a pupil’s answers. In some cases this may lead to the pupil losing all marks for that paper or course. These grades are most common in subjects that cover ethical issues, such as biology, religious studies and citizenship. In 1994 an A* grade
1054-472: The Belarus Free Theatre company when Shcherban was homeless. Shcherban had fled from Belarus to London, with other members of the theatre company, to escape political censorship and persecution in the aftermath of the 2010 Belarusian presidential election when oppositional candidates had been arrested. Kelly has credited Sharon Horgan for making him become a writer. They had both initially met in
1116-491: The Conservative government of David Cameron, reforms were initiated which converted all GCSEs from 2012 (for assessment from 2014) to de facto linear schemes, in advance of the introduction of new specifications between 2015 and 2018 (for first assessment from 2017 to 2020). These new rules required that 100% of the assessment in a GCSE be submitted in the final examination series, at the same time as applying for certification of
1178-627: The National Curriculum at Key Stage 4 . GCSEs are awarded on a graded scale and cross two levels of the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF): Level 1 and Level 2. These two levels roughly correspond, respectively, to foundation and higher tier in tiered GCSE qualifications. Level 1 qualifications constitute GCSEs at grades G, F, E, and D or 1, 2, and 3. Level 2 qualifications are those at grades C, B, A, and A* or 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. The tiering of qualifications allows
1240-737: The Royal Court Theatre in February 2018, directed by Lyndsey Turner and starring Carey Mulligan . This production also had a run at the off-Broadway New York theatre, Minetta Lane Theatre in June 2018, to good reviews. In March 2022, State Theatre Company South Australia put on a performance of the play at the Odeon Theatre, Norwood in Adelaide as part of the Adelaide Festival . The performance
1302-640: The Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. However, private schools in Scotland often choose to follow the English GCSE system. Each GCSE qualification is offered in a specific school subject, such as English literature, English language, mathematics, science, history, geography, art and design, design and technology, business studies, classical civilisation, drama, music and foreign languages. The Department for Education has drawn up
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#17328768846261364-659: The University of East Anglia , for their work on Matilda the Musical . In July 2017 Kelly received an 'Honorary Fellowship' from Goldsmiths, University of London . GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education ( GCSE ) is an academic qualification in a range of subjects taken in England , Wales and Northern Ireland , having been introduced in September 1986 and its first exams taken in 1988. State schools in Scotland use
1426-476: The 1980s, with a trial ‘16+‘ examination in some subjects, awarding both a CSE and an O-Level certificate, before the GCSE was introduced. The final O-level/CSE examinations were sat in 1987. GCSEs were introduced in September 1986 to establish a national qualification for those who decided to leave school at 16 without pursuing further academic study towards qualifications such as A-Levels or university degrees. The first GCSE exams were sat in 1988. They replaced
1488-452: The 2016 and 2017 syllabus publications, leading to first awards in 2018 and 2019 respectively. For GCSE Science the old single-award ‘science’ and ‘additional science’ options are no longer available, being replaced with a double award ‘combined science’ option (graded on the scale 9–9 to 1–1 and equivalent to 2 GCSEs). Alternatively pupils can take separate qualifications in chemistry, biology and physics. Other removed qualifications include
1550-628: The A* grade was added above the grade A to further differentiate attainment at the very highest end of the qualification. This remained the highest grade available until 2017, when numerical grades were introduced (see below). The youngest pupil to gain an A* grade was Thomas Barnes, who earned an A* in GCSE Mathematics at the age of 7. Initially the mathematics papers were set in three tiers: Higher, Intermediate and Foundation, to cover different mathematical abilities. The Higher level corresponded to grades A-C,
1612-519: The CCEA in Northern Ireland. In England, AQA, OCR, and Pearson operate under their respective brands. Additionally, WJEC operate the brand Eduqas, which develops qualifications in England. CCEA qualifications are not available in England. In Wales, WJEC is the only accredited awarding body for GCSEs in the public sector, and thus no other board formally operates in Wales. However, some qualifications from
1674-448: The D grade by a small margin are awarded an E. Otherwise the grade below E in these papers is U. In untiered papers pupils can achieve any grade in the scheme. This scheme has been phased out in England, but remains in Wales and Northern Ireland. In Northern Ireland the A* grade has been adjusted upwards with the introduction of the numerical scheme in England, such that an A* is equivalent to a new English grade 9. Northern Ireland also added
1736-606: The English boards are available as designated qualifications in some circumstances, due to not being available from WJEC. In Northern Ireland, CCEA operates as both a board and a regulator. Most qualifications from the English boards are also available, with the exception of English language and the sciences, due to requirements for speaking and practical assessment, respectively. Pupils usually take 7-10 GCSEs in Key Stage 4 . The exact qualifications taken vary from school to school and pupil to pupil but all schools are encouraged to offer
1798-594: The Intermediate level corresponded to grades C-E and the Foundation level corresponded to grades E-G. However it was later realised that nobody who sat the Foundation level had any chance of passing the subject at grade C, so this arrangement was replaced by a two-tier arrangement whereby the Intermediate and Foundation levels were merged. This brought the subject into line with other subjects that typically had foundation and higher-level papers. This meant that somebody who sat
1860-450: The January series of examinations as an option in most subjects and requiring that 100% of the assessment in subjects from the 2014 examination series be taken at the end of the course. These were a precursor to the later reforms. From 2015 a large-scale programme of reform began in England, changing the marking criteria and syllabi for most subjects as well as the format of qualifications and
1922-831: The Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Poland, Italy, Australia, Japan, the United States, France, Belgium, Denmark, Romania and Canada. Other work includes translations of Péter Kárpáti's Fourth Gate ( National Theatre Studio ) and The Colony , a radio play which won Best European Radio Drama at the Prix Europa , 2004. Original works Adaptations and translations Awards Honours On 9 November 2015, Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts awarded both Kelly and Matilda co-collaborator Tim Minchin an Honorary Doctorate in letters, validated by
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1984-455: The UK for that reason. The following lists are sourced from the exam board websites. These are the requirements for achieving the English Baccalaureate headline measure in league tables, from 2017 onwards. Other subjects, especially religious studies, citizenship studies, computer science and physical education are compulsory in the majority of secondary schools since these subjects form part of
2046-601: The age of 30, he graduated from Goldsmiths College, University of London with First Class Honours in Drama and Theatre Arts. In September 2011, Kelly married Neapolitan actress Monica Nappo. They had met five years earlier when Nappo was appearing in an Italian premiere of one of Kelly's plays. They separated in 2016 and divorced in 2017. In May 2022, he married Producer Katie Swinden. The couple have one daughter. At one point Kelly shared his home in Deptford with Vladimir Shcherban from
2108-400: The centre at which they sat the exams. In England these results then go on to inform league tables published in the following academic year, with headline performance metrics for each school. Owing to COVID-19, pupils who were supposed to sit their GCSEs in 2020 and 2021 were awarded qualifications based on predicted grades from their teachers. Traditional exams, however, have been taken since
2170-595: The controversially titled Osama the Hero which was produced by Hampstead Theatre , beginning a long-running relationship with the theatre. He wrote After the End in 2005. It was produced by Paines Plough in his first out of London production at the Traverse , though it later came to the Bush Theatre before going on a tour of the UK and internationally in 2006. Love and Money
2232-432: The early 1990s at LOST youth theatre where they performed in a production of Anton Chekov 's The Seagull . They again met each other some years later while both drunk in a Camden pub. In the pub Kelly explained to Horgan that he had written a play. The next day Horgan phoned Kelly up and told him that they should both put the play on. Kelly has said that "I honestly think, had I not bumped into her, I wouldn’t have become
2294-479: The final examination series. This allowed for students to take some units of a GCSE before the final examination series, and thus gave indication of progress and ability at various stages, as well as allowing for students to resit exams in which they did not score as highly, in order to boost their grade, before receiving the qualification. Various qualifications were available as both modular and linear schemes, and schools could choose whichever fit best for them. Under
2356-523: The first assessment series in 2010, controlled assessment replaced coursework in various subjects, requiring more rigorous exam-like conditions for much of the non-examination assessed work and reducing the opportunity for outside help in coursework. Under the Conservative government of David Cameron various changes were made to GCSE qualifications taken in England. Before a wide range of reforms, interim changes were made to existing qualifications, removing
2418-476: The former CSE and O-Level qualifications, uniting the two qualifications to allow access to the full range of grades for more pupils. However the exam papers of the GCSE sometimes had a choice of questions, designed for the more able and the less able candidates. When introduced the GCSEs were graded from A to G, with a C being set as roughly equivalent to an O-Level Grade C or a CSE Grade 1 and thus achievable by roughly
2480-537: The full qualification. The examination boards complied by modifying the syllabi of the remaining GCSE qualifications to remove modular components. Hampstead Theatre Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in South Hampstead , in the London Borough of Camden . It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. The original Hampstead Theatre Club
2542-580: The grades 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 are targeted. Students who take the higher tier and miss the grade 4 mark by a small margin are awarded a grade 3. Controlled assessment and coursework tasks are untiered. The youngest person known to have achieved a grade 9 is Ellie Barnes, who achieved the grade in Mathematics aged eight. GCSE results are published by the examination board in August for the exam series in April to June of
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2604-422: The grading system. Under the new scheme all GCSE subjects were revised between 2015 and 2018 and all new awards were to be on the new scheme by summer 2020. The new qualifications are designed such that most exams will be taken at the end of a full 2-year course, with no interim modular assessment, coursework nor controlled assessment except where necessary (such as in the arts). Some subjects retain coursework on
2666-466: The incorporated subjects. These reforms did not apply immediately in Wales and Northern Ireland, where GCSEs would continue to be available on the A*-G grading system. However owing to legislative requirements for comparability between GCSEs in the three countries and allowances for certain subjects and qualifications to be available in Wales and Northern Ireland, some 9–1 qualifications were to be available and
2728-609: The musical Matilda proved highly successful, with the musical winning 99 awards between its opening in December 2010 and 2021, and scheduled to continue to run in the West End of London until at least December 2022. He wrote an adaptation of Pinocchio featuring the songs and score from the Walt Disney film for the National Theatre , opening in December 2017. Kelly's one-woman play Girls & Boys had its world premiere at
2790-502: The new Foundation level could now achieve a grade C, which was considered the formal pass level. With the introduction of numbered grades, the Higher tier provides grades 9-3, with 3 being classed as a 'safety net' grade, and the Foundation tier provides grades 5-1. Between 2005 and 2010 a variety of reforms were made to GCSE qualifications, including increasing modularity and a change to the administration of non-examination assessment. From
2852-439: The new Northern Irish A* grade. A grade 8 is also equivalent to an A*, however the grade 9 is the top end of the A*. The former C grade is set at grade 4 (known as a 'standard pass') and grade 5 (considered a 'strong pass') under the numerical scheme. Although fewer qualifications have tiered examinations than before, the tiering system still exists. At foundation tier the grades 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are available, whilst at higher tier
2914-473: The new purpose-built Hampstead Theatre opened in Swiss Cottage. The main auditorium seats 373 people. The studio theatre, Hampstead Downstairs, seats up to 100 people and was turned into a laboratory for new writing in 2010. In 2022, Arts Council England removed the theatre's public funding. Playwrights who have had their early work produced at the theatre include: This British theatre–related article
2976-549: The other changes were mostly adopted in these countries as well. In Northern Ireland a decision was taken by Minister of Education , Peter Wier ( DUP ), in 2016 to align the A* Grade to the 9 Grade of the English reformed qualifications. The first award of the new A* grade being in 2019. A C* grade was also introduced in Northern Ireland to align to the 5 Grade in England, again with first awarding in 2019. GCSEs in Northern Ireland remain modular and Science practicals can count towards
3038-521: The overall grade. Speaking and listening also remains a component of the GCSE English Language specification. Historically, there were a variety of regional examination boards, or awarding organisations (AOs), who set examinations in their area. The 5 examination boards include: The examination boards operate under the supervision of Ofqual (The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation) in England, Qualifications Wales in Wales, and
3100-670: The same year. They are usually released one week after the A-Level results, on the Thursday that falls between 20 August and 26 August. The examination results are released to centres (schools) prior to the release to candidates and the public. Examination results are released by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), which represents the main GCSE awarding organisations. Some boards and schools release results online, although many still require pupils to attend in person to collect their results from
3162-451: The subject, school, and exam board), starting in Year 9 or Year 10 for the majority of pupils, with examinations usually being sat at the end of Year 11 in England and Wales. Before the introduction of GCSEs, pupils took CSE ( Certificate of Secondary Education ) or the more academically challenging O-Level ( General Certificate of Education (GCE) Ordinary Level) exams, or a combination of
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#17328768846263224-412: The summer of 2022. Source : Joint Council for General Qualifications via Brian Stubbs . Note : In the final year DES statistics for O-Levels are available, and across all subjects, 6.8% of candidates obtained a grade A, and 39.8% achieved grades A to C. In the past, many GCSE qualifications used a modular system, where some assessment (up to 60% under the 'terminal rule') could be submitted prior to
3286-706: The ten writers who took part in writing monologues based on a children's account for a one-off event at the Old Vic Theatre directed by Danny Boyle in London in support of Dramatic Need in 2010. His three monologues were performed by Ben Kingsley , Jenny Jules and Charlie Cox . In 2010, Kelly returned to the Hampstead Theatre once more for his response to Shakespeare's King Lear , The Gods Weep starring Jeremy Irons , with mixed reviews. His script adapted from Roald Dahl 's book for Tim Minchin 's production of
3348-674: The top 25% of each cohort. The Royal Alexandra & Albert School in Reigate, Surrey, trialled GCSE English in 1980. Those who passed would receive both a CSE and an O Level certificate. There was still a separate English Literature O Level exam. Over time the range of subjects offered, the format of the examinations, the regulations, the content and the grading of GCSE examinations have altered considerably. Numerous subjects have been added and changed, and various new subjects are offered in modern languages, ancient languages, vocational fields and expressive arts, as well as citizenship courses. In 1994
3410-527: The two, in various subjects. The CSE broadly covered GCSE grades C-G or 4–1 and the O-Level covered grades A*-C or 9–4, but the two were independent qualifications, with different grading systems. The separate qualifications were criticized for disadvantaging the bottom 42% of O-Level entrants, who failed to receive a qualification, and the highest-achieving CSE entrants, who had no opportunity to demonstrate higher ability. In their later years O-Levels were graded on
3472-426: Was about but I’m definitely not going to say what it was about! It was just a sitcom with swearing which is like a lot people’s first plays." Kelly's first professionally produced play Debris was written when he was 30 years old. He says he wrote it imagining he'd give himself a part. Staged at Theatre503 in 2003, it transferred the next year to Battersea Arts Centre . It was well received and he went on to write
3534-433: Was added above the initial A grade to indicate exceptional achievement, above the level required for the A grade. Under the letter grade scheme, foundation tier papers assess content at grades C to G, while higher tier papers assess content at grades A* to C. In foundation-tier papers, pupils can obtain a maximum grade of a C, while in a higher-tier paper they can achieve a minimum grade of a D. Higher-tier candidates who miss
3596-597: Was another success for both writer and theatre. For the 2007 National Theatre Connections Festival, he wrote DeoxyriboNucleic Acid (better known by the title DNA ) which after the connections received a professional production alongside The Miracle by Lin Coghlan and Baby Girl by Roy Williams at the National Theatre in the Cottesloe. The play is now used widely in schools and is on several curriculums for GCSE drama. The second series of Pulling ran in 2008 and won
3658-463: Was considered equivalent to an O-Level C grade or above, and achievement of this grade often indicated that the pupil could have taken an O-Level course in the subject to achieve a higher qualification. As the two were independent qualifications with separate syllabi, a separate course of study would have to be taken to convert a CSE to an O-Level in order to progress to A-Level . There was a previous attempt to unite these two disparate qualifications in
3720-638: Was created in 1959, in Moreland Hall, a parish church school hall in Holly Bush Vale, Hampstead Village . James Roose-Evans was the founder and first Artistic Director, and the 1959–1960 season included The Dumb Waiter and The Room by Harold Pinter , Eugène Ionesco 's Jacques and The Sport of My Mad Mother by Ann Jellicoe . In 1962, the company moved to a portable cabin in Swiss Cottage where it remained for nearly 40 years, before, in 2003,
3782-556: Was directed by the artistic director of STCSA, Mitchell Butel , and starred Justine Clarke . This production received overwhelmingly positive reviews, receiving five stars from reviewers and earning a standing ovation at least one performance. In the Netherlands, the play was staged by Theater Oostpool, directed by Daria Bukvić and starring Hadewych Minis , who won the prestigious Theo d'Or prize for her solo performance. His work has been produced in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Slovakia,
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#17328768846263844-535: Was staged at the Royal Exchange, Manchester and then at the Young Vic in 2006. That same year his sitcom Pulling , co-written and starring Sharon Horgan , aired on BBC Three . It received good ratings for the channel and was well reviewed, being nominated for a BAFTA TV Award for Best Situation Comedy in 2007. Returning to theatre and the Hampstead Theatre in 2007, his fake verbatim play Taking Care of Baby
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